Kate Bush and Connie Francis: Behind the anime inspired by music’s best singers
Kate Bush isn’t swayed to speak on many subjects. It was a shock that she responded to the Stranger Things mania with ‘Running Up That Hill’ a few years ago. In that sense, do you think she knows she is also an anime character?
It’s a bizarre crossover if ever you’ve heard one, because it’s not often that you hear classic pop stars expressing their love for Japanese cartoons. I think I can say with a fair amount of certainty that Bush probably doesn’t spend her spare time binging on Pokémon or Demon Slayer. But do not get this confused – there is not some random woman in an anime universe belting out warbling renditions of ‘Wuthering Heights’. It’s a likeness in terms of name only.
Of course, this still doesn’t get away from the fact that there is a real anime character called Kate Bush. She was an integral part of the super-fighting Shrike Team in the show Victory Gundam, but despite how strange this might seem to those not acquainted with the whims of anime, Bush’s character was not alone in her endeavour to protect the world.
As fellow members of the Shrike Team, she was joined by none other than Connie Francis, Peggy Lee, Helen Merrill, and Mahalia Jackson – a lethal combination that you would probably never even dream of in any other circumstance. Not all of the character influences are as overt as Bush, as Francis was turned into Cony Francis, as just one example, but the effect still remains as perplexing and intriguing as it is, admittedly, pretty entertaining.
But beyond simply stating that these characters exist in a bizarre crossover between the frenetic worlds of both music and anime, the biggest overarching question still has not been answered: why? Without sounding like a petulant child trying to justify themselves, the basic truth is ‘just because’. There’s no deep-rooted symbolism or hidden message in the fact that Bush, Francis, and Lee have been transformed into fighting anime stars. It’s just there because it’s fun, and it adds an extra layer of interest to the whole universe.
For those who aren’t particularly accustomed to how anime operates, you’re probably pretty bemused – so what if they’ve named a cartoon character after Bush? Yet the reality is that anime is a massive global entertainment powerhouse that, although it doesn’t have quite the mainstay of popularity in the Western world as it does in Asia, still represents something massive in the fact that they wanted to honour some female music icons in this form. It might just be useful if someone told Bush that.
This is only said in a slightly tongue-in-cheek way, as there is no true way of knowing if she is aware of her anime homage, but let’s chalk it up as a privilege nonetheless. Granted, it may not be exactly how she envisaged her legacy when she first frolicked onto the scene all those decades ago, but that’s sometimes just the quirky perks that come with being a global star.
Hang in there, wannabe musicians, because one day you too could become an anime character. Keep hold of those dreams.
